In 2005, publicist and journalist Bill Carpenter compiled his gospel music research into one cohesive work– Uncloudy Days: The Gospel Music Encyclopedia. It “chronicles the careers of over 650 gospel artists and personalities from 1900 to the present day.” So, yeah… it’s kinda like a collector’s item.

The book’s got stuff about everyone from Thomas A. Dorsey to Mahalia Jackson, the Hawkins family to the Winans family, and everything in between– folks you never even knew EXISTED.

If you’re grabbin’ something for a gospel music lover, they’ll probably appreciate the stories, interviews, photos and more that abound in this book. Check it out!

Say Amen, Somebody is one of those must-have gifts for any lover of gospel music.  How many great documentaries are there about the gospel industry?  Not many.  How much video footage do folks have of Thomas A. Dorsey, the Father of Gospel Music, in their movie collections?  Probably none. When was the last time that a movie about gospel music was lauded by mainstream critics like Roger Ebert? Maybe never.

How can you give someone that, along with some great, classic performances, for under $25?

Give ‘em the DVD for Christmas.

As September comes to a speeding end, I didn’t wanna let Gospel Music Heritage Month end without making sure I talked about the incomparable Mahalia Jackson.  Many people hear the name her name and think to themselves, “yeah, gospel pioneer… I get it.”

But few of us, if we’re honest with ourselves, will acknowledge that we actually know very little about her.  So, here goes…

Mahalia Jackson (1911-1972) was born in New Orleans, LA.  At the age of 16, she moved to Chicago, where she worked as a domestic, then as a beautician.  At age 18, she met Thomas A. Dorsey and, shortly thereafter, began touring with him as his primary vocalist and collaborator.

At age 24, she landed her first recording contract (Decca Records) after being heard singing at a funeral.  From that record deal, she later went to sign with Apollo Records, then Columbia Records (you thought Mary Mary was Columbia’s first gospel artist??? ).

She married Isaac Lanes Grey Hockenhull in 1936, but divorced him in 1941 (allegedly because of his racehorse gambling addiction and persistent pressure from him that she sing secular music, which would be more profitable).

Meanwhile, her success in gospel music began bringing her international acclaim as she toured throughout Europe.  In 1958, Mahalia’s version of “He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands” peaked at #68 on Billboard’s singles chart, which was unprecedented at the time.

Toward the latter portion of her life on Earth, Mahalia was very involved with the Civil Rights Movement.  She is known to have joined Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at many events, the most famous of which was probably the 1963 March On Washington, where Dr. King gave his “I Have A Dream” speech.

Mahalia Jackson passed from heart failure in January of 1972, in Evergreen Park, IL.  Two services were held–one in Chicago and one in New Orleans.  Aretha Franklin closed the Chicago service with “Precious Lord, Take My Hand,” the now classic song made famous by Jackson.  The majority of her estate, with an estimated value of over a million dollars, was left to her family back in New Orleans.

Following her death, she was honored with a GRAMMY Lifetime Acheivement Award and, since then, has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Hame and has her face on a U.S. postal stamp.

I remember seeing some great videos of Mahalia on YouTube a while back… just HAD to post one of ‘em.  In this one, “Just A Closer Walk With Thee,” watch how Mahalia WORKS this song so tough that, by the end, she’s in another DIMENSION! LOL

September is Gospel Music Heritage Month!  And with it, I’m launching a new series, entitled TidBits.  It’ll feature quick, random, little-known facts about gospel music and the gospel music industry, ranging from historical info to music trivia.  Hopefully, we’ll be more educated as we go!

First tidbit– Thomas A. Dorsey (1899-1993) is often credited as the “Father of Gospel Music”.  He may be best known for having written “Take My Hand, Precious Lord” and “Peace In The Valley,” but he also began the first black gospel music publishing company and founded the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses.  Learn more about him here.

By the way, the official Gospel Music Heritage Month website is http://www.gospelmusicheritage.com.  Make sure you check it out for additional info.

Are y’all watching this show?!?!  If you’re not, I cannot explain how much you’re missing out.  It’s a free weekly gospel concert series that you get to enjoy while sitting in your pajamas.  What’s better?!

Okay, so as always, I was updating on Twitter.  The Twitter server kept crashing cuz it said it had too many tweets, which I’m convinced was due SOLELY to the gospel folks watching Sunday Best and commenting together.  If you’re not following me yet, you’re missing out.  Click here: http://www.twitter.com/gospelpundit.

NOW, the show:

Fred Hammond opened up with a new haircut (we love it) and an incredible performance of “No Weapon,” a throwback classic.  He flipped it into a medley by adding “This Is The Day,” reminding EVERYONE that he is gospel royalty.  Why do folks still sleep on Fred?  Has he EVER let us down, musically?!

Anyway, next came the performances.  They said they were honoring the “Godfathers” of Gospel Music– Thomas A. Dorsey, James Cleveland and Bobby Jones.  Didn’t know we had given them those designations, especially since Thomas A. Dorsey created what we consider gospel music (we call him the “Father”) and the entire industry calls Rev. Timothy Wright the “Godfather of Gospel,” but he wasn’t even recognized… whatever.  I’m glad whenever we honor gospel greats, so that’s kewl.  I DIGRESS!

The performances:

Latice Crawford – “Soon I Will Be Done…”:  MA’AM!  You look flawless and your performance was incredible.  The judges mentioned a “disconnect,” which I noticed a bit too– right when the beat came in, she didn’t seem like she FELT like delivering it… But she demolished that song from note one at the VERY TOP of the stairs, all the way until her Whitney Houston-lookin’ self got to the end of the song.  Fantastic performance.

Y’Anna Crawley – “No Ways Tired”:  It may have been my favorite performance from her to date.  I know everybody is still buckin’ and shoutin’ over “Grandma’s Hands” from a few weeks back, but the MINISTRY that was there last night… we haven’t really seen her in that way yet, so I’m all about last night’s performance.  And when she got to talkin’ about how she’s raising her kids on her own… she meant that thing.  Awesome job!

Jessica Reedy – “God Has Smiled On Me”: I’ve said it from day one and I’ll say it until the end of this competition– JESSICA REEDY IS MY FAVE.  She always looks incredible, she has this sweet, humble demeanor (which she tastefully flips to a “commanding confidence” on stage)… she’s better than she even realizes, I think, which is awesome.  I say it all the time about her– it’s the MUSICAL CHOICES she makes… she’s tasteful, daring, unique, not easy to imitate… AND THE RANGE.  She was hitting notes in her lower register that some dudes can’t even hit.  And with precision… and with tone and color… and with… ALL THAT.  Jessica Reedy, you are… well, you just ARE!

Zebulon Ellis - “Precious Lord”:  I didn’t feel like hearing nobody’s “Precious Lord.”  In fact, I walked away for a minute.  But I’ll be doggoned if Zebulon Ellis didn’t make me RUN back into the room with dropped jaw and wide eyes… that man sang that song.  Still, the performance was not as stellar as those of his female counterparts.  He sings well, but he doesn’t PERFORM as well as they did.  And ultimately, I think that’s what made the distinction.

In the end, Zebulon was sent home, which I think is the right decision.  He gave it his all and has gained a BUNCH of people who are gonna support him.  Great work, brother!

Now, it’s down Jessica Reedy, Latice Crawford and Y’Anna Crawley. At this point, any one of these three ladies could win and I’d say “ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.”  I am, of course, hoping for one in particular, but I’ma be buying albums from each of ya.  EACH OF YA, I say!

Some general notes:

1.  With fewer contestants on the show each week, we’re getting to hear longer songs from them, which is GREAT.  The fact that they don’t have to start at the bridge and end with the chorus means that we get a better picture of how they perform a full song, which is kinda important.

2. Ummm… Donald Lawrence is a musical mastermind who is bringing out the absolute best in each of these singers.  O, to be a fly on the wall of those vocal coaching sessions– he’s got the midas touch.

3.  My wife pointed out (and I concur) that the show’s STYLIST is on their J-O-B.  Everybody looks like a gazillion bucks.  Get it!

4.  I didn’t PERSONALLY need Wynonna Judd’s performance, but the beauty of God’s plan is that SHE needed it… and that’s enough to shut all of our mouths (a little).  After she gave her tearful performance of “How Great Thou Art,” she said that her grandmother had died the night before.  That performance was pure worship for her, and I have nothing to say about that.  AND, I’ll add: she’s a singing somebody anyway.  For proof, listen to her duets on Kelly Price’s Christmas album or Patti LaBelle’s recent gospel album.  She holds her own with both singers, which is no small feat.

All in all, an EXCELLENT show.

Thoughts???

I LOOOVED this interview and I think y’all are gonna really enjoy it, too.  I’m chatting with Deborah Smith Pollard (aka Dr. Deb) about her book, When The Church Becomes Your Party, which discusses the changing trends in gospel music and the new expressions of the traditional Gospel message.

Let me set things up real quick for you, so you’ll know exactly why you need to lean in CLOSELY for this interview!  She holds a Ph.D. in American Studies, she’s an Associate Professor at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, she has done EXTENSIVE research and writing in African-American literature and the gospel music industry.  She’s a concert producer, lecturer, gospel columnist… AND she’s a Stellar Award-winning gospel announcer on Detroit’s FM 98, where she’s hosted “Strong Inspirations” on Sunday mornings for nearly 15 years!

We had waaaaay more fun on our phone conversation than I could have expected (and talked about waaay more than I could even print!).  She is a true treasure to the gospel music community.

Y’all, FOR REAL, buy this book and learn what her research has uncovered– you’ll be amazed.  Here’s Deborah Smith Pollard…

*     *     *

EJ:  Hi!  First, let me thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me.

DSP:  Well, thank you for wanting to talk to me.

EJ:  Oh, absolutely.  A friend emailed me about the book a few months ago and I thought “I want to read this and I want to talk to her for GospelPundit.com,” so I really appreciate you for taking the time to do it.

I also need to take a quick minute to say THANK YOU for mentioning GospelPundit on your radio show the other week.  You had listeners weighing-in on a topic I started, regarding Mary Mary’s upcoming video and the cameo appearances by mainstream artists.  As you saw, we had A LOT of comments—some for it, some against it– at GospelPundit.com.  How did people respond in Detroit?

DSP:  The ones who called in and sent me text messages, they said that there are a lot of different ways to reach people and Mary Mary seems to want to go outside of the church walls.  And if they can grab the attention of the audience by putting before them some of the popular, urban artists, as long as Mary Mary’s message isn’t being compromised, people felt that was fine.

EJ:  Yeah, I hear that.  And, it’s not a new debate at all, nor will it be the last, but it’s great to hear the various viewpoints on it.

Now, please tell me about this incredible and TIMELY book that you’ve written—When The Church Becomes Your Party.  I’ve spoken with a few people in the industry and they’re raving about it.  What’s the basic theme of your book?

DSP:  The basic theme is that the new forms of gospel music, and the new forms of expressing gospel music, may seem disconcerting initially, but if you just step back and listen to the testimonies, or listen to the lyrics, you’ll see that the intention and the focus of those artists (and those who attend their concerts) tends to be the same as it’s always been.  There’s the traditional message, but it’s wrapped for a new generation.

EJ:  That’s awesome.  So, it’s nothing new or something we need to be afraid of?

DSP:  Right.  Don’t be “scurrrrred.”  *laughs*

EJ:  *laughing*  Right!

DSP:  For example, in the last chapter, “Preachers In Disguise: Bringing The Holy to Hip-Hop,” I talk about the testimonies of people like Cross Movement and other artists like Kiwi (here in Detroit) or Corey Red… and I look at the things that they’ve said on record– why they do what they do.  And then I print out a number of lyrics, either from their albums or you can find them online.  And when you look at them, you can see why, even if it’s not your beat or your sound, it’s still a message worth supporting.

Certainly, I’m not one who embraces all kinds of rap.  I love music, but if there is music that denegrades women, etcetera, that’s different.  But that’s not what’s going on here with Christian rap and Holy Hip-Hop.  I tell people: “get past the Timbs, get past the jeans”… *laughs*

EJ:  I love that!

By the way, I’m loving the titles of these chapters—I think my favorite is “Muscle T-Shirts, Tight Jeans and Cleavage- (W)rapping the Gospel for a New Generation”.  What in the world is THAT about?

DSP:  That’s actually my favorite title!  One of the things that I did was note that it’s not just about women.  We talk a lot about women, and what they’re wearing, but I interviewed some men who said “you know, I have to watch what I wear when I perform,” and I thought “really?”

EJ:  Not everyone considers that.

DSP:  Right, but I thought, “well, why not?”  Because if men can be swayed by what women have on, why wouldn’t women be swayed by what men have on?  I look at the fact that when Kirk Franklin first came out, people were allegedly throwing their door keys, undergarments on stage…

EJ:  No! *laughing*

DSP:  So I go all the way back to the history of dress in the church/gospel community.  Well, we have to go all the way back to the early church fathers, who wanted women in nothing clingy, had to cover their ankles (because ankles were too much of a turn on), they had to wear veils… then, later, in the Black church, that was the one place where people really COULD dress up.  Coming out of slavery, we could be who we really were.

So, what happens is that we’re a more casual culture, but we also have young-thinking artists who say “I don’t want the audience to feel like we’re in this completely different world from them, that we’re unapproachable.”

Even Fred Hammond, four or five years ago, as we were doing an interview on my program, he told everyone to go home before his concert and change their clothes so that people can see that we’re approachable.  So, I wanted to put the muscle t-shirts and the jeans and the cleavage, so we know that it’s across the board– things are changing.

EJ:  Wow.  That’s awesome because we don’t usually think of it from both sides.

DSP:  Right.  So, I address: what does Trin-I-Tee have on, what does Mary Mary have on, but also, what does Kirk have on, what does Donnie have on?

And I talk about the changing silhouettes, as well.  Everybody isn’t skinny, but our “A-list” artists, as a rule, especially when we talk about the women– Vickie, Dorinda, Yolanda, Mary Mary… they are smaller overall than their key demographic.  Again, not a good thing or a bad thing, but an observation.

EJ:  This is so fascinating to me!

DSP:  And, EJ, most importantly, they’re SMALLER THAN the full-figured Mahalia Jackson who, again, was building upon the popularity of the female blues singers of the time.  Full-figured was fabulous back then.  So, I think that part of the reason that these artists have been able to crossover is because they are glamorous.  I let people decide for themselves whether it’s good or bad, but these are our artists today.

And when I go to a concert, I gotta tell you, EJ, I’ve got two hats on.  I want to be there to enjoy it… *laughs*

EJ:  *laughing*  But you still wanna research!

DSP:  *laughs* Right!  I’m takin’ little pictures of what’s going on!  If I see a tube top on someone in the audience, I’m taking note.  I’m looking on stage and, if there’s cleavage or pants that are more fitted, I’m looking to see if the audience is murmuring, or what.  How are they processing it?

EJ:  Right.

DSP:  At one point, we had Vickie Winans, CeCe Winans, Helen Baylor and Dottie Peoples at a concert.  And Dottie Peoples was the only one who wore a dress.  And I talked to my mentor in gospel radio, and she had some pretty strong words to say about everyone wearing pants.  She said “if they had really been set FREE, they wouldn’t have those pants on.”  Then, I called Vickie Winans, told her how much we enjoyed her and simply asked when she started feeling comfortable wearing pants.  And she said “well, I didn’t start wearing pants until I was 30.  But I’ve been shown a FREER way.”

EJ:  WOW!  Night and day.

DSP:  *laughing* And I thought, here are two women who love God and love gospel music– one says “if they had been set free, they wouldn’t have pants on”; the other says “I’ve been shown a freer way.”  And Vickie said that she never wears them in the sanctuary and she always checks to see where she’s going.  But, I went to full-research mode to see how people have responded to the things they see on stage.  That’s my favorite chapter title, too!

EJ:  That’s such an interesting concept to me.  While I have you, let me ask you a quick philosophical question.  Do you think that the evolution of gospel music is inevitable?  And let me explain why I ask:  In his day, Thomas A. Dorsey was considered “radical” for throwing blues-infused chords into sacred music.

DSP:  Absolutely.

EJ:  And now, we call it “traditional gospel.”  Same thing with Edwin Hawkins, for example.  Even Kirk Franklin & God’s Property, when they did “Stomp” just over 10 years ago, were practically ostracized for having gone too far.  Now, we’ve got Tye Tribbett & G.A. doing backflips and splits on stage, and the gospel community now considers THAT “the norm.”  So, isn’t change bound to happen in gospel music?

DSP:  Absolutely.  I teach a class in gospel music and, one of the things that I tell the students is that “church people don’t live in the church.”  You know?  They live in the greater community.  And the Black community, which is so dynamic, we create chords, we create instruments, we utilize things in new ways… I remember Pastor [Marvin] Winans saying “there is no ‘Gospel B flat chord’… it’s just B flat.”

EJ:  Right!

DSP:  So, he talked to my class about a commercial, I think it was for a paper towel, that worked its way into a gospel song.  Twinkie Clark talked about loving Stevie Wonder her whole life, heard “Master Blaster” and decided “nobody’s doing any reggae in gospel,” and this is how ”You Brought The Sunshine” came about.

EJ:  WOWWWWWWW.

DSP:  People say “church people shouldn’t be mixing it,” but we are PEOPLE and just because somebody has created a “gangster” style of rap doesn’t mean that the whole speaking tradition isn’t ours.  PREACHING is OURS.  It’s our highest form of spoken word.  And we use it in service already– the preacher gets going and the organist starts winding up to support his spoken word… it’s the same thing as rap, except they’ve added a drum to it or whatever else.

EJ:  You’re blowin’ my mind!!! *laughs*

DSP:  *laughing*  So, whatever comes next is inevitably going to bring about changes in church music as well.  Some people will embrace it, some people will say it’s Satan’s music, and all I say is “God, let me be around so I can write about it!” *laughs*

EJ:  That’s incredible.

DSP:  I have gone to these services, EJ, and I call them services.  And I might be the only “grown person” there– the last one I went to featured Lecrae and The Ambassador.  It was great… and you KNOW they’re going to do an altar call.  You KNOW they’re gonna pray over those young people and challenge them about their walk in Christ.

Now, it’s not for everybody, it’s not even for all young people because some people prefer something more traditional.  But for those who were THERE– young, old, in-between– they were blessed by the ministry, they knew the Word was going forth and it was just great to be a part of it!

So, that’s where we are NOW, something new is coming around the corner.  And I just say that if you’re not going to embrace it, could you please maybe step aside…

EJ:  Wow.  Basically. *laughs*

DSP:  And, wait a minute… could you PRAY that God gets the glory?  That all those who are involved in whatever is new will give GOD the glory in what they’re doing.  And that they won’t be pulled down by some who, without even paying attention to lyrics, or without even knowing the history, would judge it.

EJ:  It’s funny, I often say that a lot of us Christians, we would’ve stopped the crucifixion if we could’ve.

DSP:  *laughing*

EJ:  *laughs* Because we get so stuck on making sure that we’re championing the cause for what is “right” and we have such a strong opinion about how things “have to” go, but sometimes… we just don’t know what the Lord is going to do or allow to bring about HIS plans.  Y’know?

DSP:  Mmm-hmm.

EJ:  And, on the Mary Mary post we were talking about, somebody came on and said “well, I came to Christ through Mary Mary and Kirk Franklin.”  So, if people wanna knock them for being too progressive or too out-the-box, that’s fine… but God is using them to win souls to Jesus.

You know, one of my students said that “I like Trin-I-Tee 5:7 because they showed me that I can look cute and love Jesus, too.”  And maybe, for someone else, that’s not their style, but there are tons of people you can look to if that’s not your style, and you don’t have to tear them down.

EJ:  So true.  You’ve done a lot of research!

DSP:  Well, I love how the book finally together and I’m so pleased that people have said so many kind things about it.  As Pastor Winans says, “even if you don’t agree with the conclusion, you have to respect the research.”

EJ:  Absolutely, because at the end of the day, we didn’t do the research, you did.  And what you found is what’s out there.

Now, how can people get their HANDS on the book?

DSP:  My own website, which will probably be www.deborahsmithpollard.com, will be launched soon.  But in the meantime, people can go to my MySpace page for more info [click here for that], or to my publisher’s page at Wayne State University Press [click here for that].

EJ:  Perfect.  Well, thank you SO much for chatting with me.

DSP:  I thank YOU for the opportunity.  And continued success with the site!

EJ:  Thanks.  We’ll be in touch!

DSP:  Okay.

EJ:  Bye!

*     *     *

Thoughts???  Anybody already read the book?  Anybody gonna hurry up and GET IT?!

In honor of Black History Month, Gospel Music Channel has a truckload of programming lined up for the month of February.  I wanna highlight:

Say Amen Somebody – February 8th

I’m sure I’ve mentioned this incredible documentary before.  It’s one of the greatest.  Good music, good stories… don’t miss it.

I used to own it on VHS before my VCR ate the tape.  But then, God blessed me with the DVD! It features Thomas A. Dorsey, Willie Mae Ford Smith, the Barrett Sisters…  Learn this gospel music HISTORY.

BMI Trailblazers Awards – February 22nd at 8pm ET

It went down a couple of weeks ago at the Stellar Awards weekend, honoring Twinkie Clark, Donald Lawrence and CeCe Winans, featuring performances from Karen Clark Sheard, Kim Burrell, Lalah Hathaway… a BUNCH of other folks…  remember?  I KEEP talking to industry people who are saying it featured some of the best performances they have EVER seen.  You don’t wanna miss it.  They’re also gonna show the shows from 2007 (on February 1st) and 2008 (on February 8th), so set your DVRs now.

They’re also gonna re-air a bunch of Front Row Live performances and more episodes of Bobby Jones Next Generation.

Just go to their website, http://www.gospelmusicchannel.com/blackhistorymonth, for details!